The Titans of Tomorrow
by Monte-chan
Summary: 25 years have passed since the Teen Titans made Jump City their home-but with the original Titans "Teen" no more, a new generation is ready to give villains a taste of the future. Now featuring a teaser of the completed, "Another Time and Place". the inspiration for this fic.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: _Thought or Emphasis_; **Flashback**; _**Thought or Emphasis in Flashback**_

I don't own Teen Titans, nor adult Titans, and _especially_ not baby Titans. See, once they start teething on criminals, it's a real hassle to get them loose…

Read and review.

* * *

**Teen Titans: The Titans of Tomorrow**

A One-Shot

With the rise of the summer sun, another tomorrow greeted Jump City. Sol's light and warmth spread over every block, promising some of the city's inhabitants a new start and new joys.

It certainly helped that the city had a group of guardians who made sure the city made it to another sunrise:

The Teen Titans.

After nearly twenty-five years of service to the city and to the world, many of the Titans weren't teens anymore, but that didn't mean that the thriving community would be left without heroes.

"HA!"

The next generation rose up, facing new challenges and overcoming new obstacles.

"YAAH!"

While the day was just beginning, however, a challenge was still in progress, last night's obstacles not yet conquered.

Damian Wayne opted to face one obstacle with the end of his fist, another with a boot, and another with a metal staff. Such simple solutions came with the job of being Robin, son and former partner of the world-renowned (and villain-feared) Batman, and leader of the Teen Titans.

Learning of his heritage as the "Son of the Bat" from his mother, the reformed Talia al Ghul, Damian wandered the earth in hopes of discovering his destiny. Finding the Bat-Family, he hoped to live up to his father's name, and with Richard Grayson retiring his first avian identity, the skilled child had a chance to earn it himself. Upon passing tests set by both Bruce Wayne and the man he once called only "Grayson" (partly out of lack of trust and partly to mess with Richard's head), Damian took on the mantle of Robin with pride.

After a stint beside the Dark Knight, however, the younger half of the Dynamic Duo wanted to leave the nest for a shot at leadership. Grayson, now Nightwing, persuaded him to reunite with a special team, and with one of his first friends…

Robin's suit comprised of a red sleeveless tunic covering a black under-armor that stopped at the wrists and ankles, a yellow utility belt around his waist. His gloves and lace-less boots—the latter planting themselves into a villain's back—were a dark metallic green, as was the domino mask covering his serious blue eyes and a handsome face passed down by his father. His cropped black hair was usually covered by a black hooded cloak with a canary-yellow fringe, but the battle had removed it from his head.

Today's battle was against a team of bank robbers who decided to get an early start to the day. This was usually nothing serious for him…

Except that the team of bank robbers was in actuality one man. Someone apparently sported the same power to multiply as an old foe of the original Titans. This new foe called himself "Legion."

Legion wore a cobalt blue bodysuit with a white X encompassing the upper chest and wrapping around the shoulders, resembling the symbol for multiplication. His shoes were of a similar design to Robin's, blending into the suit almost seamlessly. On one of his arms was a particle blaster sharing the suit's color as well. The mask, covering all but the mouth and hairless chin revealing a Caucasian skin tone, showed white eyes without pupils.

Some of the faces grinned at the thought of making off with millions of creds and spreading some mayhem in the process—and of course, giving more than a little trouble for Robin and the rest of the team.

Other faces twisted in pain, as a flurry of birdarangs found soft spots to strike. As he felled four of the same man at a time, Robin took a glance at his other partners to see how they fared.

One of them donned a royal purple long-sleeved shirt exposing her midriff and a skirt of the same color, the shirt's loose, robe-like sleeves tapered at the wrists by bands made of an alien metal. Her thigh-high purple boots were also tapered by similar bands at the knees, and a headband of the same metal, barely restraining the cascading black hair that framed her serious face, had a purple five-pointed star design at the center.

The young woman held her fists forward as she plowed down a crowd of criminals. The blaster bolts fired at her merely bounced off her glowing skin, which under the purple aura normally possessed a subtle orange tone. Dodging a swing of a still-shooting blaster arm, she delivered a right palm thrust to knock what Legion referred to as a "Legionnaire" onto his back, ignoring a cry from the shock to his sternum. Her super-strong arms ripped the weapon off his arm and launched it into the sky, where purple beams from her sternly glaring fluorescent-green eyes demolished it.

The few conscious men in the downed crowd stirred again, targeting her for their revenge.

"Great," she huffed. "One laser down, about three hundred to go."

_Keep it up, Mar'i_, thought Damian while his staff tripped down another Legionnaire.

Mar'i Grayson was the daughter of the superheroes Nightwing and Starfire. The half-Tamaranean had her alien inheritance awaken at an early age, and she quickly learned through her parents' and extended family's exploits that her powers could be used to accomplish great things. While her father was at first reluctant to introduce another child to the superhero life, he gave in when she was 14, and so Nightstar joined the Titans roster.

Nightstar wouldn't admit it to anyone but herself, but she was partly inspired to join by meeting Damian years ago when he sought Nightwing's permission to become Robin. She thought the older boy was a bit strange with his love of wearing cloaks, but she also discovered he was skilled, he was sure about his purpose in life, and…

…well, he wasn't too bad to look at.

And a certain teammate of hers would never stop teasing her about the crush she never failed to deny.

Said teammate, one of her oldest friends, was currently standing on the shoulder of a Legionnaire at a height of about three inches tall. The slim-framed, brown-eyed and brown-skinned teenage boy wore a sleeveless shirt patterned with neon-green and black horizontal stripes, similar to the look of his mother. His pants were the same neon-green with a black vertical stripe going down the outside of each leg. Circuits ran through the fabric-like material. His visor sunglasses continued the color scheme in neon-green, as did his lace-less boots, green with metallic black soles. His hair was cut into a bald fade, his favorite style.

His gloves—black on the palm's side, green on the other—sparked with uniquely hued bio-electricity, which appeared to be channeled through metal bands on his wrists. With insect-like wings made of light, he flew as a verdant streak around his opponent, who grasped here and there to catch the annoyance. Finally thinking the fool had enough, he wound up and fired an uppercut to the chin, knocking the Legionnaire off his feet.

"I could take down these dregs all day!" He grew to his normal height, a sly grin on his face the whole time. "Is that all you got, Legion?"

One Legionnaire spoke from among the remaining dozens.

"Oh, I have more, hero!"

Another spoke. "Many more!"

The multiplying miscreant decided to demonstrate, a dark blue light shooting from himself/themselves, ever more duplicates crowding the financial district.

"ALWAYS MORE!"

Unfortunately, a score of the new arrivals now pointed their weapons at the Titan, who only had one thing to say now:

"Aw, slag it."

With moments to spare, he created an energy shield against hundreds of rounds of blue blaster fire. Over the cacophony of particles bouncing off his defense, he managed to ask:

"GUYS, A LITTLE HELP?"

Before he found himself perforated with new air holes, a dark-blue, yellow, and red blur crossed the path, a tri-colored tornado deflecting the attack. The streak zipped into the crowd of Legionnaires and swept past each one; though the assailant was unseen, it was easy to hear the rapid repeat of fist meeting face.

Once the crowd was on its collective back, the phantom retraced its steps, slowing to a stop and growing more solid as it teased the one it saved.

"Gotta watch your mouth out here, Hornet. I won't always be there to save that bug butt of yours every time you tick off the dreg du jour."

Halting in front of Hornet was a teenage girl his age but with a Caucasian skin tone. Yellow lightning still randomly crossed over her slim frame, clad in a spandex-like bodysuit.

The sunny yellow sleeveless top of the suit connected to her equally yellow mask, a face mask freely showing her grinning mouth, playful green eyes currently concealed by opaque scarlet glasses, and short red hair that spiked up and slightly spilled over the sides. The yellow went down to her belted waist, save for the scarlet lightning bolt design moving up from the pants to her neck, encompassing the center of the shirt. The scarlet bottom half merged with the lightning bolt and made up the pants, which on the outward sides showed off yellow lightning bolt designs that "arced" down the outside of her thigh from hip to knee, similar to Hornet's stripe design. Her sneaker-like shoes were the same scarlet as the pants, with lightning bolt attachments sticking out of the sides like wings.

Draped over her arms was an open jacket of dark-blue leather, thin scarlet borders on the lapels. Hornet had always found her jacket to be a weird thing for a speedster to wear, but he wouldn't judge, considering that his mother patterned herself after a bee and his father's cherished object was a magic horn.

Hornet, real name Martin Beecher-Duncan, was the son of Karen Beecher, the buzzing bombshell Bumblebee, and Malcolm Duncan, the powerful portal-maker Herald. The bands on his wrists, invented by his "Uncle Vic," the high-tech hero Cyborg, kept his inherited ability to discharge bio-electricity in check. The bands held inside them small "stingers," from which he could shoot concentrated bursts of lightning. After gaining greater control over his energy releases, though, he more often preferred to focus the power into his fists.

Hornet grinned in gratitude, glad that he could keep fighting (and stay alive) for a few more minutes.

"I guess I owe you one… again." He chuckled. "Thanks, Kid Flash."

Kid Flash was the second to hold the name, but the fourth in line since Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West to ride the lightning.

After a bad breakup with Jinx, Wally West, the original Kid Flash, fell in love with Linda Park, a local reporter in his stomping grounds of Keystone City. Wally and Linda brought into the world the turbo-powered twins Jai and Iris, who had gained the powers of their father by blood—but while the son turned away from his birthright in his teen years and sought to live a normal life outside of his father's shadow (and hopefully out of life-threatening danger), the daughter held a lifelong dream of racing around the world and saving it at the same time.

The young Iris had a problem, though—her father had always hoped his _son_ would carry on after him as Kid Flash and, like Wally himself, claim the Scarlet Speedster's suit someday. Wally, in all his stubbornness, refused to let Iris become Kid Flash, believing her too irresponsible and holding onto the hope that Jai would take the spot, not understanding that Jai inherited that same unyielding mind.

Denied what she thought was hers, Iris West chose to run away from home (literally) and prove to the first Kid Flash—no, to the _world_!—that she could be a hero just like him.

So when the new Kid Flash made her debut in Jump City, its guardians took notice—especially Hornet, who found her a fun addition to the team, since no one could prank quite like a speedster.

Robin thought she was a little unpredictable, and, while not knowing her past, felt her refusal to talk to the Flash was suspicious. Still, she was helpful in a fight, as he saw just seconds ago in between beating up clones.

"You bet you owe me!"

"Kid," as the Titans sometimes called her, was also loyal to her teammates, which is why when her eyes widened behind her glasses at something behind Hornet, she moved without hesitation, grabbing him and spinning him around to her position; friction was no match for the Speed Force.

"Kid? What-"

His momentary tingling and confusion halted when he heard the foreboding sound of a shot go off, and his teammate cry out.

"_AH!"_

She stumbled, nearly falling into his shoulder.

"KID!"

She winced at both the hurt and his scream in her ears. "And now that's two, heh heh-_ow!_" The pain muted her attempt at humor.

He didn't hear the joke, however. With a speed rivaling her own, he left her side and flew fist-first into the idiot who chose to shoot his friend in the back. A right hook with more than enough electricity hit the Legionnaire so hard, his body spun before it hit the ground.

Behind the green visor, brown eyes squinted in anger.

"Don't _ever_ do that again."

A pained groan was the reply.

Robin could see it from where he stood—Hornet knew it was time to get serious. He decided to change things up as well.

"Kid Flash, Hornet: Containment!"

"On it!" Activating his stingers, the emerald insect turned to the high-speed heroine. "You up for this?" A hint of worry crept into the boy's voice.

She nodded, her eyes unseen but her voice determined. "I'm always ready to run."

Yellow and green blurs sprang into action once more, circling the Legionnaires with shocks and speed that corralled them into a busy street.

"Nightstar, search from the skies!"

"Right!"

She quickly picked up on what Robin meant: there may have been dozens of duplicates, but the original had to be around there somewhere. Maybe if she found him, she could…

"There! Three buildings north from the bank!"

The boy wonder fired a grapnel gun, removing himself from the crowd of foes and taking to the rooftops.

Meanwhile, the villain cursed his speed in that suit, but clutched onto his ill-gotten gains with one hand. He dared to look back and immediately regretted it—two Titans were on his trail, and they were gaining on him.

Frantic, he shot his gun to hold them back, missing horribly. He hurried to plan B, which was a lot like plan A: "More of me will do it!" As he concentrated to create his next diversion, however, he neglected to notice that he was running out of roof.

Legion tripped and, with a scream, fell over the ledge, covering his eyes so he wouldn't see his fateful encounter with the asphalt. He let go of the bag of creds, knowing that it was pointless. No one would save someone like him, he figured. A two-cred thief would meet a two-cred death…

Suddenly, the sense of falling stopped. He opened his eyes.

He was… floating?

"I'm alive?"

Sure enough, about ten feet from the ground, he was frozen in place, both he and the heroes on the roof above in shock.

"Heh… heh heh, I'm alive! I'M ALIVE!" Maybe he had more powers with this suit on than he realized! He wasn't some two-cred crook after all; he was going to be unstoppable!

"EAT IT, TITANS! I can fl-"

Gravity and blackness ended his rejoice.

By the time he returned to consciousness, someone decided to assist him to his feet: Robin, who held Legion's hands behind his back and hooked on a pair of handcuffs.

Nightstar relieved him of his blaster, crushing it in her palm like so many others today.

This minor frustration in fighting the same man over and over is what convinced her to pull him her way and stare right into his eyes. "Call off the clones. Now." She started to rise higher, taking her with him. "Or would you like to do take another flying lesson?"

Having acquired a deep-seeded fear of heights today, he kept his mouth shut and shook his head no.

"Good."

After the original was brought over to Hornet and Kid Flash, the corralled criminals dwindled to nothing, disappearing in bursts of light.

Soon enough, the Jump City Police were ready for cleanup, taking Legion away in a hovercraft to his newest home.

And speaking of home:

"TITANS! Another mission accomplished!" Damian would not know this, but he sounded at lot like his predecessor. "Now," he sighed in relief, "let's get some rest."

"I hear that." Hornet joked, "My stingers are killing me!"

"You're so lazy," the red-headed racer remarked.

"Oh yeah? I kept pace with you all day!"

"Kept up with _me_? Maybe in your dreams!"

Robin ignored their arguing, thinking about that future nap; even the would-be heir to the League of Assassins, having trained to stay awake for days on end, appreciated some shut-eye. Still, there was a question bothering him.

"Hey, Robin…"

Luckily, Nightstar could sometimes figure out what he was thinking.

"Who stopped Legion from falling?"

In a nearby crowd, two eyes had ceased their green glow, but the unassuming figure who possessed them sighed in relief.

"I don't know."

* * *

Even after a quarter of a century had come and gone, Titans Tower, the symbol of the team's strength and solidarity, stood tall against threats both domestic and foreign—even those extra-dimensional. Its original owners still kept rooms reserved (and thanks to the security system, untouched), but since the Titans were part of a global organization that sometimes had its members take missions abroad, the big metal T was mostly left in the hands of their successors.

In one of the Tower's many halls, two of those successors related their adventure to a vid-phone. "…So we patched ourselves up, and we've been here ever since."

"Well done, Mar'i!" Spoke the voice on the small screen. "You handled a duplicator much more easily than we did the first time. You should speak to Cyborg and the Flash about their fights against the Billy Num—I mean, against _Billy_ Numerous." Not even decades of Earth life could completely clean up her slightly broken English.

"Thanks, Mom."

On the inside, Starfire was still the embodiment of joy and kindness she had been in her youth, growing both stronger and wiser with the changes of adulthood and motherhood, since she was the one to teach Nightstar mastery over her physical abilities.

On the outside were more obvious changes, a second "transformation" from the one she experienced in her teen years. Her once slim frame was replaced with curves that drew the eyes of her comrades and her enemies, and her long, straight hair grew curly and wild. The exotic beauty of the former princess of Tamaran was said to rival that of the ageless Wonder Woman herself.

Robin, having known Starfire as practically a second mother, never noticed this. Instead, he murmured to himself. "Hmm, maybe I should talk to them in case Legion ever shows his face again."

"ROBIN!" Nightstar jabbed his arm with her elbow—perhaps a little too hard, as he felt the pain even through his under-armor. "I don't know why I even brought you with me."

Starfire caught the boy scowling as he rubbed his arm. _So serious, just like my Richard. _"So, Robin, have you been taking care of my little _bumgorf?_"

He straightened up as he met a gaze that seemed a just a little bit too curious. "Yes, Starfire. I've been treating your," a corner of his lips upturned, "…_bumgorf_ well."

"Damian!" She whispered, jabbing him again; he would lose the feeling in that arm at this rate.

"She said it first, Mar'i." He looked back at the mother, speaking from the heart. "She's kept me safe too, of course. I wouldn't be the same leader without her."

Both mother and daughter each felt her heart lighten at those words.

"It is always nice to hear that you two are still so close. I think it would break my daughter's heart if you were not there." Starfire got a twinkle in her eye, one that Nightstar dreaded. "Did I ever tell you how when you first arrived to us, she would follow you around the tower when she thought you were not looking?"

"_OKAY_, Mom!" Mar'i interjected before anything else could be said. "I think we've talked enough for today. We'd better check up on the others."

"But, I am not-"

"Tell Dad we said hi! Bye!" She dropped the call, making her way back to the living room at a brisker pace than normal, steps ahead of Damian.

She tried avoiding eye contact with the boy wonder in the fruitless effort to seem less awkward. She had been dodging her mother's attempts to push the two of them together for years. Maybe the older Tamaranean saw a repeat of her own love story in the making…

_But slag it, it's _my_ choice if I want to try anything like that with him!_ The noirette glanced just a bit behind her, hopefully without him noticing. _Besides, it's not like I have _those_ kinds of feelings for him…_

"I noticed, by the way."

Her steps halted. "What?" _He couldn't have seen me from back there!_

"You following me around, I mean." He finally caught up to her, a fleeting, tight-lipped smile on his face. "It was… funny."

"Oh, um, well…" She kept walking, praying to X'hal, her mother's deity, that he didn't see the blush through her hair. "Wait, you thought it was funny? I'm not sure I've ever seen you laugh."

"You'll earn it someday, Nightstar." He patted her shoulder in fake consolation. "Someday."

She couldn't help but smile and look away as she voiced a thought. "You'll have to… stick around until I do, then."

"Of course." His hand returned to his side, now with him walking ahead. "I can't leave this team in _your_ hands, after all."

And now she was angry.

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" The young man once labeled a "birdbot" by Hornet had stirred more emotions out of Nightstar in the last five minutes than she had coaxed out of him in three years.

In her mind, she could swear he was trying to mess with her…

_How does he do this to me?_

_It's not like I have _those_ kinds of feelings for him… right?_

Before she could ponder that any further, the duo had already made it to the living room door, entering with a quiet _woosh_.

* * *

On the other side of the door, Kid Flash (mostly healed thanks to the Speed Force) and Hornet had decided to watch, of all things, the news, looking for a new story about superheroes saving lives. Instead, a far more depressing development displayed across the big screen television:

**In other news, the Mankind Liberation Front has continued demonstrations around the White House, urging Congress to put forth a bill to keep the so-called "supers" under control. The face of the MLF, Gerry Godfrey, grandson of the famous—some would say, infamous—talk show host G. Gordon Godfrey, had this to say at a recent town hall meeting in Kansas:**

"**More and more supers show up from space, from underground, from right around the corner, hiding among us humans in plain sight. They seem perfectly fine with enjoying the fruits of human society—until they choose to take control of things with their own personal armies against whatever they deem a threat, smashing up our towns as they brawl in the streets. Look at all these teams! The Justice League, the Justice Society, the one with the kids—Young Justice, I think it's called? I can't remember. Point is, all it takes is one or two of those "leagues" of theirs to decide that **_**we**_** are the threat, and then what? What's to stop them from turning those eye beams on us? Guns? Tanks? **_**Nukes**_**? I hear that Captain Atom is a **_**walking nuclear reactor**_**! How do you stop one of those from going rogue without accidentally blowing our wonderful state sky high? How would we recover?**

"**And if they're not building up those teams, they're making more of themselves, like they're trying to outnumber us, or mix us up so we don't know what's human anymore! Just look at them all: Wonder Girl, Superboy, and that kid in California, Kid Flash! From my knowledge, we've had two or three Flashes already! How many more of those are going to show up, speeding around as we speak? Where are our protections, if some girl in tights decides to zip into your house and empty it out before you can blink?**

"**How many generations will it take to bring the eradication of the human race? Should we just stand by and-"**

"Change the channel, Hornet," the voice next to him murmured.

"Can you believe this guy-"

"_Now!"_

"Right." The TV went on to the next channel, advertising the newest Macrosoft "Doorways" operating system.

"After all these years, after everything we do for them…" A red-gloved fist clenched tightly. Her gaze pointed down. "They act like we're not even human."

Hornet saw her raise her glasses to her forehead and rub her eyes, but whether she was wiping away tears he could not tell.

He hated seeing her like this. The last time he saw her like this was when he asked about her family, hoping to compare stories. Her eyes may have been hidden by the glasses, but she wore her heart on her sleeve, and it was just as heavy then as it was now.

He had to do something about it.

"Technically, some of us ain't human, Kid. My mama's a bumblebee, remember?" He chuckled, but his attempt to get a laugh failed.

"It's not like I asked for this." She raised up her now unclenched hand, making it vibrate until it was a scarlet blur. "I was made this way! And just because of that I'm not human? My mom-" She cut herself off.

Hornet's interest was piqued at the speedster's sudden silence. "Your mom what?"

"…Never mind." Her anger continued. "The point is, who does that Godfrey guy think he is?"

"An idiot, that's who!" The green guardian answered. "The normal folks out there ain't all like him; I mean, look at this town! Jump City loves us!" He nudged her arm playfully with his elbow. "Jump took to you like you always lived here, didn't it?"

"Guess you're right about that." Her mood picked up. She had to admit, she had taken to Jump as well, the villain problem only an attraction instead of a deterrent. Within the first day here, she'd found every 24-hour fast food restaurant in the city, where she could "refuel" before racing into the fray, and by the end of the month, they all knew her by name.

"And if the whole city doesn't do it for you, just remember: you've still got the team," a thumb pointed to his chest, "and you got me, Kid Flash."

He took the same hand and raised it before her eyes, green electricity sparking between his fingertips.

"Us freaks gotta stick together, right?"

She raised her hand too, momentarily vibrating the left that reflected against his right.

"Right."

They met in the middle. The yellow and green lightning played around their hands, yet hurt neither, something they had never seen before.

"Thanks, lightning bug." She spoke his nickname with a softness she didn't even know she had.

Even more surprising to her, he actually had a comeback.

"You got it, lightning lady."

As both grinned, each found something special:

Hornet finally noticed that her eyes were his favorite color, making a personal note to see them again at a much happier occasion.

Kid Flash, meanwhile, found one more bit of proof that there was more than the superhero gig keeping her around.

Unfortunately, someone decided to interrupt.

"Aww, that's so sweet!"

"_HEY,_ Nightstar!" Hornet jerked his hand away as if it caught fire, sparks literally flying when the two parted; at lightning speed, Kid Flash reset her glasses, pretty sure they and the mask hid the heat rising to her cheeks. "When did you get here?"

"Around the time you called Godfrey an idiot." Nightstar frowned. "Just because I'm not all human doesn't mean I don't deserve respect!" Her eyes glowed; her father's inherited temper seeped through. "If a guy like that said one word about me or my parents to my face, I'd grab his tongue and-"

"Slow down there, star girl." As likely as he would do the same himself for the same reason, Hornet tried to calm her down. "He's a normal human being, as far as we know. No need to rage."

"Besides, we'd still save his life from you," Robin noted. "Even if it's him. We're still heroes, and men like him won't hold us back from doing the right thing."

They all knew he was right. Each person in that room had learned as children that those with incredible gifts and talents had a responsibility to use them to better people's lives, regardless of whether they would get a thanks at the end of the day.

They didn't wear masks and tights for nothing.

As if to break their solemn mood, the screen played the Titan Communicator tune, switching to an important face.

His size was still imposing, and those who did not know him were sometimes frightened by his appearance, but under his metal shell were a genius mind and a heart of gold.

"Cyborg!"

Despite the passing of time, his blue-and-chrome appearance was largely the same, the man in his forties seeming not to have aged a day. The technology under the surface, however, was far more advanced, thanks to an adventure in space where a grateful ruler named Jarras rewarded him with a body that wouldn't be obsolete on Earth for another hundred years. "Hey there, Titans."

"Hey, Uncle Cy." Hornet cheerfully greeted the father figure. "How are things with the League?"

Like many of the prior generation of heroes, such as Red Arrow (formerly Speedy, whose daughter Lian was in Titans East under his old name) and the Flash, Cyborg "graduated" to the Justice League in adulthood. Unlike those others, however, Cyborg was a part-timer, still keeping close ties with the Titans—especially Bumblebee, having watched over Karen and Martin as his own family after Herald's death years ago.

If Raven's and Beast Boy's opinions were to be believed, Karen and Victor were married in all but name ("City Hall's gonna need a lot more ink for her license, dude!").

"They're just fine. Metallo and Brother Blood are headed to the scrapyard thanks to my skills." He seemed to talk more to himself as he thought about it. "Still can't believe those two were working together, but hey, old and desperate…" He shrugged.

Robin stopped his train of thought. "I get the feeling that's not why you're here."

"You're right." The metal man got to the point. "I'm here to tell you that we're sending someone over to your neck of the woods. Martian Manhunter picked up a stowaway on one of his space trips a little while back, and he wants her to get some experience doing what he does. He thinks you four can help her get used to Earth life too."

"So when is she supposed to get here?"

Kid Flash answered Nightstar's question:

"Uh, guys, you might want to look out the window."

Sure enough, a dot in the distance grew as it flew closer to the Titans' island home.

Hornet turned back to the screen. "We're gonna have to call you back."

"Right." Cyborg grinned. "Good luck."

The foursome met the being on the roof. The new figure, a girl appearing to be in her late teens like the others, wore a black bodysuit. The top half consisted of a long-sleeved shirt, the sleeves passing over the wrists and onto the hands shyly gripping the ends. A red X adorned the chest from shoulder to waist—reminding the Titans of their early-morning enemy. Connected to the X, a waistband of the same color separated the top from the pants, which was also black and seamlessly met with her flat-heeled, red-bottomed shoes. The whole outfit, in fact, looked as if it were a second skin on the girl, a close-fitting but breathable material of unearthly origin.

The wearer of the outfit seemed to try hiding it and herself, however, with a navy blue cape that reached her knees and a hood over her face, reminding them of an older, bird-named heroine.

"Hello," a voice murmured from under the hood. "My name is M'gann M'orzz."

Before she knew it, a streak zoomed in front of her waving hello. "MEGAN! 'Sup!"

"Actually, it's M'gann…"

"So, if Martian Manhunter found you, you're probably a Martian too, huh? Welcome to Earth!" A hand shot forward to shake the stranger's. "The name's-"

"Iris West."

A rare event in her young life, Kid Flash stood stock still.

"What did you just-"

The hooded head turned to the others.

"Martin Beecher-Duncan." His mouth was still agape from hearing Kid's name, so his jaw couldn't drop any lower.

"Mar'i Grayson." She gave no reaction, since she was already known around Jump City as "Starfire's daughter" and by her first name anyway due to her mother's family outings (though the first avian acrobat never let his last name slip into public; many simply believed Nightstar to be a full-blooded Tamaranean).

"Da-" A hand covered M'gann's mouth, to her shock; Robin's ninja training had already gotten him behind her undetected.

"Living room. Now."

One claustrophobic elevator ride and very silent walk later, they stood in a place of comfort and relative secrecy. All eyes were now on the new girl who still hid her face, partly out of fear of the one who currently had her in his clutches (he may have released his mouth from her hold, but his presence made her feel like a captive).

"You might as well let her say it," Nightstar advised. "The only one who didn't know was Kid Flash, after all."

He went quiet, as if debating the option, but quickly relented. "Fine, but _I'll_ reveal my identity, not her." He removed his mask also, seeing no point for it right now. Blue eyes sternly looked at the team, more to the newer members. "Damian Wayne."

The speedster sized him up. "Huh. I always figured you had green eyes. Still, kinda cute!"

Hornet rolled his eyes. The boy had heard that particular opinion of Damian quite often from the other girls in town, though a royal purple, _super-strong_ barrier quietly kept the more eager admirers from making a move.

Then the redhead recalled, "Wait… Wayne? As in… _Bruce_ Wayne?" She may have been from Keystone, but everyone in the nation with a TV set knew about him.

The famous figure's son sighed, knowing where this was going; it was the whole reason he didn't want to do it. "Yes."

"Whoa. But if Damian Wayne is Robin, then that means…" A gasp. "BRUCE WAYNE IS BA-"

Once again his hand covered a mouth. "If you ever speak that phrase beyond the five of us or beyond the walls of this tower," his glare, passed down from his father, chilled her bones, "then I will find you, no matter how far away or how fast you run. Understand, _Iris_?"

Her nodding told him she understood.

Attempting to ease the tension, Martin changed the subject. "So how'd you figure that out, uh…" he tried to remember the new girl's name, "M'gann?"

"I have telepathic abilities. I can read minds and communicate with them." The Martian fidgeted, fiddling with her cape.

"And why did you think reading our minds and blurting out our _secret identities_ was a good idea?" Robin growled.

"I'm sorry!" She blurted out, the loudest she had spoken so far. "I forget sometimes that a minor mind scan isn't a way to greet humans like it is on Mars, and I was…" Unknown to the others, she hesitantly looked over to the scowling young man on her left. "…nervous." She sighed, her figure slumping. "Maybe it was wrong of me to come here."

"It's alright, it's alright! There's no need to be nervous here." Mar'i stepped forward, her mother's compassion shining through. "Despite how _some_ of us may seem," Damian bristled, "we're all happy to meet you. Technically you already know our names, but I'm Nightstar," she placed a hand on her chest, "and that's Kid Flash, Hornet, and Robin," she pointed to each.

"Hello, Nightstar, everyone." She waved meekly, her voice just managing to reach.

"You can call me Mar'i, too, if you're comfortable with it."

"Alright, um, Mar'i."

"Hold on!" The green teen interjected. "If we're going to be blurting out our names and all, we should at least see your face before we roll out the sleeping bags."

Kid Flash smirked. "You just really want to see a Martian up close, don't you?"

"A little… What?" Martin looked around. "Am I the only one excited about this?"

"Freck no!" She turned the smirk into a full smile. "I'd have grabbed the hood off myself, but that would've been rude." She turned to the newcomer. "So come on, Miss Martian, let's see those baby blues!"

"Alright." The so-called "Miss Martian" pulled back the hood to reveal a soft-angled face with a lime green shade, red freckles dotting her cheeks. Her eyes were not completely red orbs like Martian Manhunter's, but instead resembled a human's, with a pair of amber-red irises. Straight red hair parted on the right and fell to her shoulders.

"So… um… how do I look?"

The fastest Titan reacted first. "Aww, wrong again."

"Don't mind her." Nightstar again tried to calm the self-conscious M'gann. "You look just fine."

"Yeah, kinda cute—_ow!_" A slight whack to the head had the bespectacled boy turn around. A certain girl was whistling not-so-innocently. "What? You said it too!"

"Well, I wasn't trying to copy you."

"Well, you…" The girl had him stumped again. "Slag it."

"Um… R-r-Robin?" M'gann sought his opinion; sensing that he was the leader, she had the feeling she would need his word to stay. His face may have been unmasked at the moment, but it was still no easier for her to read. She refused to read his mind again, for fear of what he would do.

"One of your powers is telekinesis as well?" He said it more as a fact than a question.

"Yes."

"You saved Legion." The boy wonder saw the question display itself on her face, and elaborated. "The man in blue who fell off the building."

"Oh, him! Yes, I did that. He may have been a criminal, but when I saw him, I just had to help."

"What if I told you I let him fall?"

"What?" Nightstar could sometimes figure out what he was thinking—but this was not one of those times, and she demanded an explanation. "Damian-"

"Then I would leave right now!" M'gann's voice possessed a strength she had not exhibited the entire afternoon. "I thought that superheroes, like my uncle, _saved_ lives, not threw them away!" Before it occurred to her, she told them about her past. "I've seen enough needless death in my life on Mars! I won't be a part of that here!"

"Hmm…" Robin appeared to brood over her response.

An amber glare could not penetrate his thoughts. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

He did…

…And gave the smallest glimmer of a smile.

"Welcome to Titans Tower."

The Martian's anger fizzled. "…what?"

"Other than your personal space issue," he still seemed sore about that, "you didn't seem like a threat. The League's voucher would be enough, but I wanted to fill in some blanks for myself.

"My father once told me that one of the most important tools against evil is actually mercy. Knowing when to give your all against your opponent is just as important as knowing when to hold back. That includes when folks like us use powers. We use these skills and strengths not to punish, but to protect, even when the one who needs protection does something to himself-"

"-like fall off a three-story building."

"Um, right. Thank you for interrupting, Hornet." He continued, his annoyed glare disappearing. "The point is you'll fit in just fine here. To do that, you're going to need one of these."

Stepping over to a wall panel and placing his palm there revealed a cabinet with a row of T-Coms. She accepted the smooth square object first with hesitance, then grasped it firmly.

The communicator was one of the first things on Earth that was truly hers.

A grin bloomed on her jade visage, her heart soaring like the ship that brought her to this new world in the first place.

"Thank you for accepting me into your home."

"No, M'gann," Nightstar asserted, "our home!"

"Alright, new Titan in the Tower! I'M NOT THE NEWBIE ANYMORE!" Kid proclaimed to the heavens, before getting to her first question... or, rather, a salvo of them. "So, Megan, you're the Manhunter's niece? Do you have any family? What was it like on Mars?"

Rather than inform Kid that her name was M'gann, she explained her story. The planet's inhabitants, it turned out, had lived deep underground for centuries, beyond the reach of Earth's technology; the only reason her uncle had made it to Earth was due to a Zeta-Beam accident. Her family was stable and its size average by Martian standards: a male and a female still mated for well over sixty years, having given birth to twelve brothers and seventeen sisters. There was, however, a long-standing animosity between the races of White and Green Martians, with the Green treating the White as second-class citizens; this bit of history was an especially sore spot for M'gann, whose father and one of her brothers were White Martians. The race riots thankfully stopped about twenty Earth years ago—

"Wait, WHAT?" Kid's eyes bulged behind her scarlet specs. "Just how old are you?"

"We don't really keep count in the same way, but uncle said I was 48 Earth years old."

Martin chimed in. "You don't look a day over 35."

"Um… thank you?"

"Alright, you two, give her a little space," Robin chided. "We need to get her room set up."

That would have to wait, since the crime alarm chose this moment to blast into the quintet's ears, a red light washing over the room. The TV revealed the enemy, who had appeared in the city park through a portal of unknown origin and, while making a mess of everything around them, preached about "imminent conquest over the fleshlings."

Speaking their twisted message were a trio of large creatures resembling golems, each nearly identical in appearance to the other. Their stoic faces with dull red eyes were carved into pure concrete. In fact, Titans of the older generation might recognize them as resembling—

"Cinderblock?" Nightstar's eyebrow rose in surprise. "What is that thing doing free?"

"Who?" The two newer members had never heard of him.

"Nightwing told us about him. The original Titans fought him way back. Giant walking statue, dumb, quiet," Hornet explained. "But I thought there was only one of him?"

Kid Flash gave her theory: "Maybe they're trying to have a family reunion?"

"I say we ask them directly." Robin's fist met his other palm. "Is everyone ready?"

The leader saw his team:

His first friend and closest companion, a child born of two worlds but no less human in her kind heart, smiling in solidarity;

His second friend, a boy who behind the wisecracks had the spirit of a warrior, flexing his gloves for a fight;

The third, a girl who, like the second, was a joker, but was always ready to jump in feet-first to help those in need, her body literally vibrating in anticipation;

And the fourth, a new face, but no less willing to use her unearthly skills to protect her new home (and new roommates), her amber eyes glowing green as she floated.

"Alright, then…"

They were the legacy of decades of heroes, eager to give villains both old and new a taste of the future. No matter the era, a phrase would pass on from parent to child, from master to student, from one leader to the next, from the underdogs of today to the Titans of tomorrow…

"**TITANS, GO!"**

**END**

* * *

**Congrats, you've gotten to the end of the longest chapter or one-shot I've ever written. Nineteen-and-a-half pages of mental refuse, washing onto digital shores.**

**Inspiration for the new Titans includes not just the original show, but a **_**different **_**show filled with teen heroes, and of course, a mix of old-school and new-school comics for the origin stories. The really savvy readers among you will know that two of the Titans even come from the same source material. Where? Here's a hint: It's one of the most amazing graphic novels ever made by DC, if only for the visuals. Not enough of a hint? Too bad, because if you haven't read this classic, then you need to read it TODAY. I've read it for the second time in three months, and I'm still turning to different pages and just gawking at everyone like they're museum exhibits.**

**Hornet, an original creation, isn't quite so new, either.**

**For more on Hornet, and more about what happened to the original Titans, check out my story "Teen Titans: Another Time and Place," featuring three quick looks into alternate Earths, including this one. Fave it, review it, message me, and see if you get all the references packed inside.**

**Until next time, Titanic readers.**


	2. Preview to Another Time and Place

I don't own _Teen Titans_.

But I may own the space/time rift letting me see these events unfold. How else would such stories as these appear?

Unless I just made them up...

**Robin.**

**Raven.**

**Starfire.**

**Cyborg.**

**Beast Boy.**

**We are all familiar with those commendable crime-fighters, the teenage heroes who smacked down Slade, trounced Trigon, and beat the Brotherhood of Evil. We know their looks, their lives, even their secret identities. We see their world and happily accept it; for some fans, it is the first fantasy world they ever knew.**

**But what of other worlds?**

**What of a world in which one decision changed the entire world's fate?**

**What if Robin began to relish his apprenticeship under Slade? What if Beast Boy saved the Doom Patrol before joining the Titans?**

**What if the Titans were born in a different way altogether?**

**Let us take ourselves to see the lives of our favorite characters...**

**IN ANOTHER TIME AND PLACE...**

**Teen Titans: Another Time and Place**

Preview

The Kingdom of the Leap was a grand one. For generations, the royal family presided with a just hand in a castle of five towers each reaching skyward with pride. Trading boomed thanks to harbors on the western shore, and all directions bore protection of stone walls and skilled soldiers, loyal to the crown.

Yet one group of defenders stood above the rest...

…

"What is it, Timothy?" Richard met him less than a year ago; he was a bit mischievous, but the knight saw his potential. Perhaps, like himself, he could become a squire of a legend one day...

"He... he's here!" Tim's body quaked from fear and lack of breath as he struggled to speak his name.

"Who?" The royal guard's leader shook the boy, who finally snapped into focus.

"The Slayer!"

"_Slade.__"_

* * *

**ELSEWHERE...**

Ricky hated crime.

It took his family away from him, all because they wouldn't fold into that protection racket. Sure, there was the Commish, but Bruce couldn't really be there for him with the job. It didn't help that most of the police were in _his_ pocket. They never did catch who pulled the trigger, either, but everyone knew who told the chump to do it.

…

_His_ name was Terrence Trigonius: a big guy—he definitely worked out—messy gray hair spilling down even from his ponytail. Judging from his skin tone, Ricky figured he must have been Italian or from that area of the world.

…

Protection rackets, drug dealing, hell, even prostitution...

Nothing was too low for the Terror to have his giant hands in.

* * *

**ELSEWHEN...**

Titans Tower.

A building in the shape of a T would seem simple, maybe foolish. Even after all this time, the older generations still questioned the design. A popular query:

"Just how do those end rooms on the T stay attached, anyway?"

Despite the criticism, and more, it endured. For almost twenty years, the five-story-tall metal letter was a beacon of peace for Jump City. Villains both veteran and in-training, demons, dimension-hoppers, even a plague of mutant moths—all of them failed to permanently topple the Tower.

As for the answer to the T... well, that was Cyborg's secret.

…

"Awfully quiet, isn't it?"

While he grew a little annoyed at her interrupting him all this time, the metal man had to agree. "Yeah... like the calm before the-"

"YOU _CHLORBAG_!"

Another interruption brought a sigh. "And there's the storm."

…

The kitchen counter was covered in what appeared to be the ingredients of a ham, Swiss cheese, ham, roast beef, ham, chicken, ham, cheddar, and ham sandwich... and only one man could even stand to eat that dangerous delicacy.

Incensed, said man demanded the presence of the culprits to the murder. The culprits, in fact, made the centerpiece of the living room disaster, a furious purple blur and a jeering green one zipping about in a dangerous chase. These streaks' names:

"MARTIN, MAR'I, DOWN HERE, NOW!"

* * *

**Behold, the inspiration for the one-shot: one chapter after another, separated by time, space, origins, and possibly millions of packing peanuts.**

**I know you're hungry for more, but this little morsel is all you're gonna get... unless you check out the whole fiction for yourself, and if you're willing, leave a review. It's currently labeled complete...**

**Hmm, unless I happen to have some new ideas...**

**Do I have any? Or am I just messing with your heads?**

**Oh, wouldn't YOU like to know? Heh heh heh...**

**Until next time, my Titanic readers.**


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